The Secret of Success

...action principle, WillAtkinson often capitalizes "Will" and "Desire" to treat them as distinct psychological forces or entities within the mind., and that a rigorous thinker and mental analyst may imagine a mental state in which one may almost be said to manifest a Will to Will, rather than merely a Desire to Will. This state must be experienced before it can be understood—words cannot fully express it.

We have stated that it is within the power of a person to create Desire—not only to master it once it is created, but to actually bring it into being. This statement is absolutely true; it is verified and proven by the most recent experiments and discoveries in modern psychology. Instead of a person being a creature of Desire—which is indeed the case in many instances—they may become the Master of Desire and even its creator. Through knowledge and Will, one may reverse the ordinary order of things. By displacing the "intruder" from the throne, one may seat oneself in their rightful place and then command the former occupant to obey.

But the best way for the new occupant of the throne to reorganize the court is to dismiss the old, objectionable mental habits and create new ones in their place. Here is how it may be done:

First, one must think carefully about the tasks they wish to accomplish. Then, using judgment carefully, judicially, and impartially—as objectively as possible—one must take a "mental inventory" of oneself. See in what areas you are deficient regarding the successful accomplishment of the task.

Then, analyze the task in detail. Separate the matter into as many clearly defined divisions as possible, so that you may be able to see the Thing as It Is, both in detail and in its entirety. Then, take a similar inventory of the things that seem necessary for the accomplishment of the task—not the minor details that will arise day-by-day as the work progresses, but the general requirements that must be met for the task to reach a successful conclusion.

Having taken stock of the task, the nature of the undertaking, and your own qualifications and shortcomings—then begin to create Desire according to the following plan:

The first step in the creation of Desire is the formation of a clear, vital Mental Image of the qualities, items, and details of the undertaking, as well as the completed whole. By a Mental Image, we mean a clear-cut, distinct mental picture in the imagination of the things just named.

Now, do not turn away impatiently at the mention of the word "Imagination." That is another word for which you likely have a mistaken definition. Imagination means far more than the mere idle, fanciful daydreaming that most people believe is "all there is to it." It isn't all, by a long way—in fact, that fanciful part is merely a shadow of true imaginative effort.

Imagination is a real thing. It is a faculty of the mind by which it creates a matrixoriginal: "matrix"; here meaning a mold or a protective structure in which something else is formed., mold, or pattern of things, which the trained Will and Desire afterward materialize into objective reality. There has been nothing created by the hands and mind of man which did not have its origin in the imagination of someone. Imagination is the first step in creation—whether of worlds or of trifles. The mental pattern must always...